http://bleacherreport.com/articles/328196-why-norv-turner-needs-to-be-fired-immediately
Why Norv Turner Needs to Be Fired as San Diego Chargers Coach Immediately
by Kevin Murphy http://bleacherreport.com/users/216839-Kevin-MurphyKevin Murphy
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<SMALL>Contributor</SMALL> Written on January 18, 2010
Charger fans are asking for the head of Norv Turner, and they are asking for it to be served on a silver platter.
I'm not sure if Sunday's loss to the Jets is his biggest choke job to date, but it is certainly in the team picture.
Norv is officially that coach now. After Sunday's loss to the Jets, the title is his. He has officially become the guy who can't win the big one.
This is exactly why he needs to be launched and launched now.
Wasn't this the knock on Marty Schottenheimer? He was a very good regular season coach but was missing-in-action come playoff time. Sounds to me like I just described Norv Turner. He is, in fact, the new Marty Schottenheimer. The only difference is, Norv is choking with better teams than Marty did.
It's become unacceptable, and a change needs to be made. Good coaches win with the talent this Charger team has. Norv Turner doesn't.
If Norv was going to prove his critics wrong, the table was set for him yesterday. He was coming off a bye week. The Chargers had more then enough time to prepare, and they were healthy—something they hadn't been the past two years heading into the playoffs.
Ah yes, the table was set. Norv just didn't bother showing up to eat. The Chargers as a whole didn't show up to eat. They looked unprepared and taken off guard by the Jets. Norv should have had his team ready and didn't.
Sure, Nate Kaeding didn't help. Sure Philip Rivers didn't have his best game. Good teams still prevail in games where they underperform though. The Chargers are a good team and should have never been in the situation they were in yesterday. They are better than the 14 points they put up. They are better than one and done.
This team deserves a coach who can put the pieces together, not just during the regular season, but in the playoffs. That coach sure as hell isn't Norv Turner.
Since 2004 only the Colts and Patriots have more wins than the Chargers. They also have Super Bowls to go with those wins. What do Norv Turner and the Chargers have? They have nothing. They have disappointment. They have embarrassment. The fans have heartbreak and high blood pressure.
The fans deserve better than to watch Norv Turner year-in and year-out run his hands through his hair as another season slips away. This guy is an underachiever, and it's time people start calling him out on it.
What has he really done? Did that upset against the Colts last season really give this guy that much clout? He has done nothing. Forget the 11 straight wins this season. Forget the 13-3 record. Throw all that out the window, because at the end of the day, the Chargers are nothing but big-time losers once again.
That window, by the way—well, it's closing. The opportunity for success is slowly slipping away if you are a Charger fan. These guys don't stay young forever. In football you are lucky if you have a two- or three-year window to get the job done. Norv was handed the job with that window wide open. He has done everything in his power to slam it shut though.
Turner is signed through 2010. It was rumored that a contract extension was in the works after an early December victory against Dallas. Those talks seem to have stalled and may have been a bit premature. This is a good sign for Charger fans.
If I had to guess,
I would say Norv Turner has coached his last game for the San Diego Chargers. I have a feeling if or when he does go, he will not be missed.
hno:
